The Search for Life on Mars Takes a New Turn with NASA’s Latest Findings
New evidence suggests that organic molecules, the building blocks for life, are not bound to a particular corner of Mars. Instead, they might be found all over the place. In a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, NASA Perseverance mission scientists announced that signatures for several types of organic molecules were present in rocks […]
Astronomers Find a Supermassive Black Hole That Pits Stars Against Each Other
If you’re an evil genius supervillain looking to freak out your enemy with a big messy space kablooie, here’s a novel way to do it. Smack a couple of ancient star remnants together right in front of your nemesis. The result will give you a gratifyingly huge, bright explosion plus a bonus gamma-ray burst visible […]
CHAPEA: Inside NASA’s Futuristic Mars Base Simulation Mission
For 378 days, a NASA team will live in a 1,700-square-foot habitat without the ability to leave. This 3D-printed dwelling is designed to replicate a futuristic Mars base. Its dimensions are akin to where astronauts might shelter from the unforgiving Martian environment on some yet-to-be-manifested mission. NASA, which is already preparing to return astronauts into […]
The Biggest Hazard for Astronauts on the Moon May Be Right Under Their Feet
Lunar regolith (also known as Moondust) is a major hazard for missions heading to the Moon. It’s everywhere on the surface – 5 to 10 meters (~16.5 to 33 feet) in depth in some places – not to mention jagged and sticky! During the by Matt Williams. Read the original article here.
Astronomers Finally Found the Origin of the Strangest Meteor Shower
The Geminids, one of the most ample meteor showers of the year, is both bright and weird. Every December, when Earth stumbles across the field of space debris strewn out across the orbit of 3200 Phaethon, bits and pieces slam into the atmosphere. Most showers are a byproduct of comets, which slough off gas as […]
Stunning Mosaic Reveals 20 Years-Worth of Mars Data in a Single Image
The Mars Express orbiter, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) first interplanetary mission, entered orbit around Mars on June 2, 2003. Since then, the probe has mapped the Martian surface using its High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), an instrument built by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) with commercial partners. In honor of the mission’s 20th anniversary, a […]
NASA Just Picked the Company That Will Land Its Second Moonwalking Artemis Crew
NASA has finally announced who it selected to make its second next-generation lunar lander. This vehicle, poised to cost roughly $7 billion, will facilitate the second Artemis Program Moon landing towards the end of this decade. On Friday, NASA announced that the Artemis V crew would land to the South Pole of the Moon on […]
Martian Rocks from Perseverance Could Uncover Ancient History — But They Also Pose a Huge Dilemma
The Mars Sample Return Mission is one of the most ambitious missions ever conceived. Though the samples won’t be returned to Earth until 2033 at the earliest, the Perseverance Rover is busy collecting them right now. Ideally, Perseverance could gather as many samples as we like and ship them all back to Earth. But of […]
Carbon-Sniffing Rover Is Designed To Crack Mars’ Biggest Mystery
March 17, 2022, was a rough day for, an independent journalistic endeavor from Annual Reviews. Sign up for the newsletter.
NASA’s Newest Mini Satellites Just Launched — And They Could Transform Our Understanding of Hurricanes
On May 7, the first two satellites from NASA’s new storm-monitoring mission lifted off from northeast New Zealand. The agency tapped Rocket Lab, a private spaceflight company and launch provider, to send two shoebox-sized satellites off to low-Earth orbit — about 340 miles up in space. Rocket Lab carried up NASA’s gear in its reusable […]